England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Halstead St Andrew

The Parish

The parish of Halstead lies in northern Essex not too far from its border with neighbouring Suffolk. Halstead is located roughly 6 miles northeast of the large market town of Braintree and is a market town in its own right, sitting at the point where the A131 crosses the River Colne, the A131 connects Braintree with Sudbury. Halstead consists of two distinct parts each either side of the river, indeed such was the case when a second parish church (Holy Trinity) was built in the 1840s to serve the growing southern portion. Halstead's origins grew from a small town in the Elizabethan era when refugee weavers, mainly French Protestants, took refuge in the town and brought with them their weaving skills. Whilst the hand-looms had largely disappeared by the time of this transcript, a substantial silk mill had been established in 1825 employing around 800. In addition to this manufacturing industry Halstead had a presence as a market and regional centre for the produce of its hinterland, albeit dwarfed by its larger neighbours, Braintree & Sudbury. The wider parish was, like much of Essex dominated by arable farming with barely 1/6th of its acreage in other usage. Modern developments came to Halstead for a while, a branch railway line to Colchester has since been closed and largely dismantled. Today Halstead remains a regional centre and its growing suburbs, in particular southwards along the A131 are tribute to its popularity as a town. The River Cole drains the parish southeastwards, passing through the city & port of Colchester to reach the North Sea through the Colne Estuary. Halstead is sited at around 35 metres at the Colne crossing rising to over 70 metres in its suburbs to both north & south, further away land is at or close to 80 metres for some distance. Halstead parish was one of the most extensive in its county, covering a little over 5,600 acres it was more typical of a northern English parish in extent, within the parish a population had grown to just over 5,700 by the end of this transcript period. In Domesday times Halstead was an equally important settlement, one of the largest 20% recorded with the majority of the assets in the hands of William de Warenne, albeit 2 other landholders had minor shares; collectively their assets totalled 18 ploughs, extensive meadows & woodland and 3 mills.

The Church

St Andrew's church sits within the northern portion of the town, beside the A131 as it winds through and at the junction with Parsonage Street. The church is one which has been largely rebuilt during the Victorian period so much so that the chancel has been deemed, by Pevsner, to have lost all dateable detail. What remains is of the 14th century and in the Decorated style. Modifications of the 14th and 15th centuries added porches & vestry as well as a northern aisle, all in the later Perpendicular style favoured at that time. The interior reveals the medieval origins with the 6-bay arcades showing the details in shafts and arches of the 14th century. The major restoration occurred  between 1849 and 1852 and saw both chancel, then nave and followed by the rebuild of the western tower in almost a complete resurrection of the main fabric. The church has a very urban setting, parking is best made elsewhere and an approach made on foot, faced across the A131 by commercial premises and largely devoid of any extended views from that aspect, the churchyard to the south is rather crowded with small trees making the whole a challenge to capture for the photographer